Road policing: Proactive management of Police and media attitudes

In 1992, the New Zealand Police merged with the Traffic Safety Service, making road policing enforcement the responsibility of one agency. This paper discusses the perceptions held by Police Officers about road policing duties. The distinction is drawn between the general deterrence model of road policing activity, versus the specific deterrence model of conventional “criminal policing”. This paper argues that whilst there is no need to explain to the Police and the public why Police enforce to prevent crime, there is a need to explain the rationale behind the road policing enforcement programme, especially the issue of speed enforcement. This paper recommends that the philosophy behind road policing needs to be reinforced to both the Police and the public in order to change attitudes and lead to reductions in the road toll.